John Harle is a composer and tenor (I think – the straight one) saxophonist. His band are all very, very god musicians. But, Christ they are dull, dull, dull. This is the most tedious MOR Jazz FM nonsense I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness live. I’s beginning to dawn on us this is not an overture and Marc Almond is not in the wings waiting to saunter on. The bastard has crow-barred his on set in here on the back of the pulling power name. Were it not for being able to watch the confusion on the faces of the goths around us, I may have been driven to violence. Thankfully it was all over just at the point I was about to get up and tel him where I’d shove that thing if he tootled on it again.

And then, we get Almond in a cassock!! Game over, we can all go home now. For those who do not know, The Tyburn Tree were the gallows that stood for centuries in ye olde London town. This pair have written a song cycle all about it. And Marcy-Marc is in fine voice tonight. He’s loving his garb and the lectern. And, this is familiar territory, whores and rogues. The soft underbelly of the city. And, his contribution is great.

But.

But, it’s still the same band. They are just about ignorable as long as that idiot isn’t playing his trumpet. Which he does at every opportunity. Iain Sinclair wanders on at some point and goes on about the Thames or something. I can’t really say because all my mind is screaming is SHUT UP!!

A more sympathetic arrangement, and this would have been one of the special nights of the year. As it is, I will see one of the named performers on this bill again. Can you guess which?